The present invention generally relates to a device for aiding to lay a plurality of flooring panels on a set of battens.
More precisely, the invention relates to a device for aiding to lay flooring panels on a batten having a predetermined width, with these flooring panels being arranged transversally to this batten, this device comprising fixation members to be fixed onto the batten, a rod-selectively driven in translation with respect to the fixation members, parallely to the batten, a push member which is fixed onto one end of the rod, and driving members, rigidly connected with the fixation members, for driving the rod according to a longitudinal axis of the rod, in an advance direction for which the push member is arranged before the rod.
Devices of this type are well known in the art, as this is shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,618,896; 2,717,144; 3,524,623; 4,620,691 and in French patent 2,701,883.
The main problem raised by laying flooring panels is in the difficulty to apply the flooring panels, at two points that are spaced apart on their length, with balanced forces to guarantee a parallelism of the layed flooring panels, this problem being pratically insurmontable when the laying is made by only one operator.
Some of the known devices do not however aim to solve this problem, but only to enable application, on the flooring panels in the course of being layed, of a relatively high force by means of a relatively moderated physical effort.
Besides, although the device for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,623 solves the above problem, this patent recommends to use, as fixation means, a set of prongs provided to enter the wood of the batten.
For facilitating the prongs to enter the wood, they are bent according to a direction which is opposite to the advance direction of the push member, so that they are provided to enter the wood of the batten when the force which is applied on the flooring panel in the course of being layed overpasses the resistance of the wood to penetration of these prongs.
It has however being shown that if the batten is made of a too soft wood, the prongs will have a tendency to tear the wood of the batten before the force, which is applied on the flooring panel in the course of being layed, will even be sufficient, and that, if the batten is made of a wood that is too hard, extracting of the prongs is particularly difficult.
In the above context, the invention aims in particular to provide a device for aiding to lay flooring panels, which aiding device overcomes the above compromise, while having a great easiness of use.
For this purpose, the device of the invention, which is besides in agreement with the generic definition as given above, is essentially characterized in that the fixation members comprise a cramp forming stirrup which is fitted with a screwable block for adapting a transverse size of the stirrup to width of the batten, and a knuckle member for selectively fixing the stirrup on the batten.
According to a preferred embodiment on the invention, the driving members comprise a clamp which is essentially formed of a first and a second levers that are substantially perpendicular to the rod and respectivelly arranged in a fixed and pivoting manner with resect to the stirrup, a driving pawl that is tiltingly mounted around a first transverse spindle which is fixed to the second lever and transmits to the rod, in the advance direction, a translation movement connected with a pivoting movement of the second lever, and a retaining pawl which is tiltingly mounted around a second transverse spindle which is fixed with respect to the stirrup, for preventing a movement of the rod in a direction that is opposite to the advance direction.
In this case, the first lever is preferably a cap shaped lever, and the second lever is pivotally mounted around a third transverse spindle, the first lever then supporting the second and third transverse spindles.
The rod, which may be provided with notches, has for example a substantially cylindrical outer surface, and is advantageously provided with notches only on an angularly limited area of its outer surface, the rod being possibly provided with a hook enabling to easily drive the rod in rotation around its longitudinal axis, and being thus possibly disconnected from the driving and retaining pawls.
The stirrup may be provided with first and second arms and with a base for connecting the first and second lateral arms together, the first lateral arm carrying the knuckle member.
For example, the knuckle member has a pushing spindle which crosses through the first lateral arm of the stirrup, while the screwable block is carried by the pushing spindle of the knuckle member, the second arm of the stirrup supporting one or a plurality of claws that are directed towards the first arm.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stirrup, the clamp and the push member are formed by metal blanks that are cut and bent, and one end of the first lever is enlarged for forming a platten which is made to be rigidly connected with an outer face of the base of the stirrup.
The push member is preferably designed for forming, at a tip end of the rod, a reversed shovel able, to maintain a jig, if necessary.
The push member may moreover be mounted in a removable manner on the end of the rod so to be interchangeable, this push member being then also able to take the shape of a guiding tab which is extended at least partially in a plane that contains the longitudinal axis of the rod.
The push member is, for example, provided with cuts for delimiting transverse strips, with some of which at least being arranged on both sides of the rod and one of which coming into abutment on the end of the rod.
Lastly, the end of the rod may be provided with a shoulder that is positionned in one of the cuts so to elastically deform one at least on the transverse strips when the push member is threaded on the rod.
These and other features of the subject invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings.